Chapter 1405 Ghostly Hands <TOC> Chapter 1407 Cersabiras
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Translator: SumTLMan
Within the hands of these struggling ghosts, a path had been formed, stretching from where Angel stood by a tree door deep into the unknown.
Much like the path before, it seemed purposefully created, guiding Angel’s direction.
However, this was both a signpost and a threat.
Within these pale, almost greenish hands of ghosts, Angel clearly saw some hands bearing eyes on their palms. They were evidently Merged Ghosts, an amalgamation of souls.
With so many Merged Ghosts around, the aftermath of any potential explosion was dreadfully apparent.
Clearly, the puppet master behind this scene was using this method to remind Angel of the horrors and dangers that lurked, urging him not to act recklessly.
In response to this intimidation, Angel chuckled softly to himself, and with apparent disregard, stepped onto the path.
Sure enough, just as Angel had surmised, with every few steps he took, the path behind him would be replaced by the hands of the dead. It was reminiscent of the previous path, echoing a clear message: point of no return.
Only forward, never backward.
Walking on this winding alleyway paved by the ghost hands, Angel felt a peculiar emotion. Ahead was an undulating path leading to who knows where, illuminated on both sides, and constantly sprouting behind him were more hands of the dead, providing a bizarre ceremonial atmosphere.
Angel recalled a time he had visited the royal palace of Shannon. A lavish carpet, adorned with opulent patterns, stretched from the king’s throne all the way to the grand entrance, flanked by officials. To walk on this carpet was to embody power, politics, and a solemn ceremonial sensation.
While there’s an obvious difference between the palace’s red carpet and the path now before him, the familiar ceremonial sentiment was undeniable.
Walking this path invoked solemnity, yet due to the eerie, grotesque ghost hands on either side, it mostly felt like a macabre journey through hell’s own road.
As Angel lost himself in thought, he realized he had already covered a considerable distance on this path.
The path meandered and twisted, bypassing many trees.
Now, to Angel’s right stood a towering tree, as lifeless as the first one he had encountered upon entering. The tree’s core was hollow, and through a faint light, he could see humanoid figures swaying with the wind inside.
Yet again, two mummies.
Recalling the trees he had passed, each harboring two mummies, Angel deduced he had skirted dozens of trees, totaling almost a hundred mummies. The entire area, stretching as far as the eye could see, was populated with countless trees. If every tree concealed two mummies, then the number of bodies in this place was staggering.
Of course, the corpse count here paled in comparison to Black Forest outside, but Angel paid special attention to these trees, as he had a nebulous hunch about his whereabouts.
He had been deep in thought since he first saw one of these trees.
The multitude of trees, each with hanging mummies, and the vast yet confined space reminded Angel of information he had gathered years ago during a clandestine venture into Black Castle with Shadow——
Beneath Black Castle lay eighteen floors, each with its own theme.
From the sixth to the eighteenth basement floors were various types of dungeons, such as Blood Prison, Water Prison… and so on. The fifth basement floor was the Ice Cavern, primarily used for storage. Gloria and Felicia were located here, and it was also where Isabelle’s lingering spirit was discovered; the fourth floor was the Insect Nest, a haven for poisonous bugs; the third floor was the Land of Soul Hunting, once a paradise for ghost; the second floor was the Soul Domain. It was once Isabelle’s private sanctuary, filled with horror and off-limits to outsiders. Yet, due to unforeseen external changes, it had been repurposed as a temporary resting place for Black Castle’s inhabitants.
Beyond the aforementioned seventeen floors, there exists a distinct basement first floor:
Called the Corpse Forest.
As its name suggests, the Corpse Forest is a grove of the deceased. It’s where trees are nourished by the bodies, making it a burial ground where the dead are interred within trees.
How strikingly similar to the present situation!
Angel is almost certain that this is the basement first floor of Black Castle, the Corpse Forest!
Just like the basement third floor, the Corpse Forest is a haven for ghosts. It’s a dark, closed space where an overwhelming aura of death congregates. With its unique burial ceremonies, a ghost’s energy here not only remains but actually increases over time. Thus, it’s no surprise to find numerous ghosts in this place.
Moreover, the Corpse Forest is entirely distinct from the other seventeen floors.
It’s not connected to any of the other floors. While most floors exist in alternate dimensions, due to its unique nature, the Corpse Forest occupies only half of such a space, with the majority being real underground terrain, which means…
Angel looked up at the pitch-black canopy overhead. If nothing goes wrong, breaking through the earthen floor above should provide a route back to the surface. However, given it’s a semi-alternate dimension, breaching the earthen floor might not be so straightforward.
Additionally, there’s another challenge he needs to face.
Ghosts.
As Angel looked upwards, he could clearly see a multitude of ghosts hovering above. Their skulls all oriented downwards, gazing at him with malevolent eyes, as if wishing to flay and dismantle him.
However, no matter how venomous their glares, not a single ghost descended to confront Angel.
“It seems her ability to control souls of the dead is indeed impressive,” Angel thought to himself, showing no hint of fear, and continued to stride calmly towards the horizon.
With the location secured, a weight had lifted from Angel’s heart.
With the presence of the Gateway Model, he now had the confidence to retreat at any moment. Furthermore, with the Corpse Forest right beneath his feet, he believed it wouldn’t be long before the outside world’s Isabelle would notice his absence and deduce his location.
Because of this, Angel only had to be more cautious to avoid being manipulated by eerie ghost like the “Infant Spirit”. Leaving was still relatively straightforward. With this newfound confidence, Angel didn’t mind meeting that familiar stranger——Princess Guman, and incidentally adding a new case study to the —Experimental Reports on the Prelude of Reincarnation—.
Angel traveled along the long road for almost ten minutes.
Upon entering a dense forested area, apart from the faint mournful wails of the ghost, he also heard rustling sounds emanating from deep within the woods.
It sounded like some creature moving.
Angel stopped and turned his gaze towards the origin of the sound.
The noise grew louder, and the ground trembled in response. Suddenly, a hissing sound echoed beside him. Raising his gaze, he noticed a colossal skull peeking out from the treetops.
A snake! A massive serpent!
The size of the head alone dwarfed Angel’s entire figure.
However, much like the Mountain Giant he had encountered earlier, while this serpent seemed vast, it was also a ghost. Whether it was a Merged Ghost or not remained uncertain. If it truly was a Merged Ghost and this immense serpent exploded, its impact might rival that of the Mountain Giant.
Below Black Castle, if there’s an explosion, the castle above would likely be reduced to rubble. But this doesn’t concern Angel. He isn’t invested in the fate of Black Castle, nor is it his place to be.
Angel and the serpent exchanged glances for a few seconds. The coldness in the serpent’s vertical pupils seemed to ponder how to kill him. However, the snake did nothing in the end, merely coiling its vast body, silently watching Angel pass by without any movement.
“Is it trying to demonstrate its power as a threat?”
Angel’s intuition wasn’t off. Throughout his journey, he encountered many peculiar, distinct ghosts, some of which sent chills down his spine.
For instance, an eerie Scarlet Ghost stood among a “meadow” formed by the ghostly hands. She remained motionless, surrounded by a mysterious aura. This Scarlet Ghost felt even more unsettling than the previous ones Angel had seen.
He glimpsed a constantly shaking coffin within an enormous tree. Although uncertain of its contents, an alarming aura emanated from the coffin’s crevices. Even Angel felt an urge to shy away from its intensity.
And now, Angel stood before a chasm of unknown depth, staring into pure darkness below. Over the chasm was a rickety wooden suspension bridge, showing clear signs of decay. The planks were either rotten or missing entirely, making the bridge appear perilous.
The bridge was the only way forward, for the path behind had been reclaimed by the ghost hands.
Unfazed, Angel stepped onto the bridge.
Walking on it, the suspension bridge swayed slightly. Partly due to Angel’s weight and partly from the cold wind rising from the chasm below, causing the bridge to shake continuously.
Following the conventions of this journey, Angel felt that given Princess Guman’s character, on such a precarious and unsupported suspension bridge, she ought to stir some chaos, asserting her presence.
Sure enough, as Angel reached the bridge’s center, a sudden disturbance arose from the gloomy trench below.
A colossal ghostly head, emitting a faint glow, ascended from beneath, its malicious gaze fixed intently on the suspension bridge.
Angel arched an eyebrow. He had initially anticipated the bridge to break, causing him to plummet into the trench, or perhaps for a swarm of terrifying ghosts to emerge from below. However, to his surprise, it was yet another specter of a Mountain Giant.
Moreover, this spectral Mountain Giant seemed even larger than the previous one.
Even after Angel had crossed the bridge, the ghostly giant made no move against him.
This indicated that Princess Guman was still showcasing her strength through this ghostly Mountain Giant.
Angel’s curiosity deepened. What had Princess Guman been up to all these years that she could command such a vast and powerful array of spirits?
Or could it be that Princess Guman’s unique abilities have become so powerful that she can effortlessly control even ghosts of this caliber?